Broken Bells - "Holding On For Life" (stream)

"Holding on for Life" features Danger Mouse's trademark atmospheric soundscapes, underscored by a telltale bass line and James Mercer's Bee Gees-esque falsetto.

Broken Bells, the collaborative project of Danger Mouse and the Shins’ James Mercer, have given fans the first taste of their upcoming sophomore LP. The duo released “Holding on for Life” as a stream on their official website today, where visitors can also pre-order the record it hails from, After the Disco, the following day.

The song features Danger Mouse’s trademark atmospheric beats and digital soundscapes, underscored by a telltale bass line. Come the chorus, Mercer’s falsetto vocals veer into Bee Gees territory, albeit with a menacing twist, as he repeatedly recites the title.

The album is due out in January on Columbia, though an exact release date hasn’t yet been disclosed. It is the follow-up to the group’s 2010 eponymous debut and 2011’s four-song EP Meyrin Fields.

A product of Midwest malaise, Cole Waterman spent the bulk of his formative years immersed in the works of Tom Waits, the Doors, the Replacements, John Lee Hooker, the Stooges, Captain Beefheart, Morphine, Alice in Chains, John Coltrane, PJ Harvey and Nick Cave. Regrettably grown up, he pays the bills working as a crime reporter in the Michigan mitten.